62,000 companies in Vietnam have been established and resumed operations in the year to date, an increase of 38.2% over the same period of 2021. Most of them are small and medium in size. Many companies once hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic have now resumed business operations. Therefore, KBIZ and VCCI need to seize this golden time to help them recover.

Mr. Cong highly appreciated KBIZ's role in providing much effective support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of the two countries in the past 10 years and helping bolster economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and Korea.

He also expressed his pleasure that the recent formation of the Vietnam - Korea SME Support Center will create momentum for many Korean businesses to come to Vietnam and many Vietnamese companies to find new reliable partners in Korea.

VCCI President Pham Tan Cong said, VCCI is willing to join hands and join forces with KBIZ Office and Vietnam - Korea SME Support Center to enhance competitiveness for enterprises of the two countries and assist them to join the global supply chains. At the same time, the two business communities will further promote their trade and investment cooperation.

On behalf of the Korea Federation of SMEs (KBIZ), Chairman Kim Ki Mun also expressed the need for the two sides to tighten cooperation and expand exchange between SMEs with the support of trade and investment promotion programs.

In addition, he asked VCCI to coordinate in organizing the 2nd Baekdu Investment Economic Forum in Hanoi, expected to gather more than 100 Korean firms.